Finally got around to making my project life for my US vacay 2 years ago:

I really enjoy looking at my past project life pages–been considering doing this for monthly highlights but as of now I have my illustrated planners/journals for memory-keeping. Here are some pages from my illustrated japan travel journal:

I sorta miss lj and my lengthy posts there but I also feel happy looking at (and finishing a page or two!) my tangible journals. 🙂

I promised myself I’d document my life more so I set aside an entire day for doing project life spreads for our recent japan trip. 🙂
I used a lot of those mt washi tapes and sakura stickers. I also wanted to include all of my faves about the trip–which is a lot!

I used most of the fliers and free brochures that caught my fancy and store paper bags and mag pages as background.

I was thinking I would be finished before midnight, but I realized a spread takes around an hour. Or thirty minutes, but definitely not five.
But I think I might be finished with my Melbourne spreada before June. I’m enjoying the process, so that’s what counts.

I couldn’t wait to go home from work for the past few days since I wanted to work on editing my pics for my project life book. Today, I finally got my photos printed, and I made my first spread, featuring Melbourne. As a challenge to myself, I made it a black and white-themed one, with pops of neon because why not:

I first saw a Project Life spread in one of the blogs I was stalking years ago. I remember seeing those clear pockets and being amazed at how something as simple as partitions in clear book refills and color-coordinated cards could make such a huge world of difference, aesthetic-wise. The spreads I saw were lovely and filled with joy and I wanted one too, to be filled with memory triggers.

It isn’t that cheap, so it took me years before I finally decided to get one for my travel photos. I like actual books more than ebooks since I love the book smell and paper texture, and I wanted something tangible to remind me of those happy times and to encourage me to remember gratitude. So I got myself one last night and I was so excited about making a spread so I made one (which was more challenging than what I expected) featuring our first beach trip this year:

I slept less than 4 hours last night because of this haha. What I used: a handpainted watercolor background with ephemera, instax photos I covered with washi for added color, bits of washi for confetti, motex tapes using my dymo labelmaker, vintage transfer letters, handwritten text, vintage date stamp, more washi 🙂

Mabuhay!

Hi! I'm Drea Dela Cruz, an artist/crafter from Manila, Philippines.

I love trying new things related to arts and crafts and experimenting with various materials.

I started this blog because I wanted to share my love for the DIY movement--I believe everyone has that artistic side that makes them unique and special and I support encouraging fellow makers. Keep on making things!

Aside from arts and crafts, I also enjoy reading books and magazines, playing with stray cats, traveling, and eating. I'd love to share my artsy-craftsy adventures and journey with you here!

If you wanna get in touch with me, kindly email: mabuhaydiy@gmail.com.